Mansfield Women 60 – 5 Kesteven

Mansfield’s start to the season so far has been about as ideal as you could hope for, two victories from two and sitting triumphantly on top of the table. However, the wheels on this proverbial, not-quite-runaway-just-yet, train had the potential to derail this past Sunday as Eakring Road hosted Kesteven, a team who had claimed victory here last season.

With the opportunity to banish a ghost of the past and cement their status as the team to beat, the blue-and-whites put on a fantastic performance to claim all five points and put a marker down for the rest of the season.

Head coach Dave Woodcock was, unsurprisingly, upbeat about the performance, saying: “I think we’re really starting to gel as a team and be able to react to what’s in front of us. I’m a happy coach today.”

Despite suggestions from the scoreline, Mansfield didn’t have it all their own way and spent portions of the game creating solid field position only to give away a penalty or turnover in a crucial area of the field. In fairness, Kesteven were adept at piling on the pressure in the rucks and turning over ball even when deep in their own 22. The home team did have much of the advantage at scrum time, a powerful pack making the visitors work just to keep their own ball. But keep their own ball they did and, aside from the odd kick from hand, they were more than happy to run at their opponents, even refusing to kick penalties to touch and make Mansfield move around as much as possible to cover counter attacks and quick tap-and-goes.

However, it was Mansfield that were the ones to open the scoring and keep the scoreboard ticking over. With sustained periods of pressure in the opening quarter, the blue-and-whites were able to demonstrate both good running rugby and powerful surges through midfield. The first two tries came from sustained pressure and were finished with speed, Kyla Morley and Nancy Kirk respectively getting themselves on the score board. Two successful conversions, from Laina Corah and Hannah Blake respectively, saw the home team take a well-earned 14-0 lead.

This, though, was followed by a succession of penalties that saw Kesteven have consistent possession and territory. This consistency allowed them to put the home team under pressure and resulted in their first try of the game. The conversion was missed but the visitors were on the board, 14-5.

However, this would be the only points Kesteven could manage. Despite their tenacity in attack they were unable to find that killer final blow and weren’t able to add to their tally.

Mansfield’s third and fourth try came from the team’s ability to push the ball wide. A scrum in the middle of the park saw quick ball spread out to the wing where Natalie Garratt was able to race 40 metres and evade numerous defenders to dot down, a feat amongst many others that helped her clinch the joint player of the match award. Hannah Brereton put in another fierce performance, making a nuisance of herself at all opportunities to join Garratt as fellow player of the match. Cat Chambers closed the half with a final try, the first of a brace for her, another wide ball seeing her dance round the defence and crashing over to increase her team’s score. With both conversions missed, the half time score read 24-5 with Mansfield showing good form but just being unable to fully capitalise on all their opportunities.

The second half is where all the cogs began turning in harmony for the home team. They were still giving away penalties and Kesteven were still forcing turnovers but the attack was beginning to mesh and the defence was solid both in organised and broken play, enough to keep the visitors scoreless in this 40 minutes.

With power and pace both combining well, this period saw forwards and backs interlinking, with successive phase ball in the opponent’s 22 allowing Kelly Yates to crash through a couple of defenders to add to her team’s tally. A successful conversion by Corah saw the score up to 31-5. The next score came from a penalty as Lucy Payne, who was an absolute wrecking ball all game, received the ball and left both defenders and fellow attackers in her wake as she stormed 50 metres upfield. Support from fellow front rower Amy Marshall saw the move only end with a great last ditch tackle which allowed Ffion Roberts to deftly pick up at the base of the ruck and dive over to score just to the side of the posts. Another successful conversion by Corah took the score to 38-5.

The remainder of the half saw Mansfield grow in confidence and continue to add to the scoresheet. Marshall showed why she remains a handful by grabbing a brace, the first of which featured a now familiar thundering crash through waiting defenders. Sarah Cafferty showed her experience as she also took close contact ball and made a beeline for the line without being stopped. Cat Chambers added the final try to the tally with her second as she rounded the defence on the outside to dive over in the corner. With Marshall’s first try converted by Corah, the final whistle saw the final score read 60-5 to the home team.

It feels unfair to only mention a handful of people in this report. The simple truth is, this was wholly a team effort and every player contributed to what was a well drilled performance. Kesteven, to their credit, never gave up and frustrated Mansfield throughout the game. They were a nuisance in the rucks and, despite Mansfield largely having the edge in the scrum, were always able to secure their own ball and use it to launch their own offensives.

However, Mansfield weathered those storms well and were able to find their rhythm, especially in the second half. The mix of experience and youth is really beginning to yield dividends and will no doubt help Eakring Road become a daunting place for teams to visit over the course of the season.